Two prisoners considered violent remain on the run after being accidentally released from custody in recent weeks, the Justice Secretary has confirmed.
Lammy's Commons revelation and ongoing errors
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy disclosed the ongoing manhunt during an interview with Sky News. This follows his statement to the House of Commons last month, where he revealed that 91 inmates had been wrongly set free between April and October this year.
When questioned specifically about whether more violent or sex offenders had been freed since that statement, Lammy replied: 'There have been.' He later confirmed the number was two and that both individuals are still at large. The Justice Secretary did, however, attempt to offer some reassurance, stating: 'I want to convey that the trend this year is fortunately downwards.'
New checks introduced after high-profile case
The issue of mistaken releases was thrust into the spotlight following the high-profile case of Hadush Kebatu. In response, Lammy introduced additional verification checks for prison officers last month, designed to prevent such serious administrative errors.
Despite these new protocols, the two most recent erroneous releases occurred within the past three weeks, indicating persistent systemic problems within the prison service's discharge procedures.
Political pressure and public safety concerns
The revelation is likely to increase political pressure on the government and the Ministry of Justice regarding public safety and the operational competence of the prison system. The fact that the individuals are described as 'violent' raises significant concerns about potential risk to the public.
Lammy's admission in the Commons about the scale of the problem—nearly 100 wrongful releases in just six months—paints a picture of a system under considerable strain. While the Justice Secretary points to a downward trend, the escape of two potentially dangerous individuals will dominate headlines and parliamentary scrutiny in the coming days.
The Ministry of Justice and relevant police forces are now tasked with locating and apprehending the two missing prisoners, while simultaneously reviewing what failures led to their release.
